


You Too

by Argonometra



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alien Culture, Gen, Jossed, Pre-Canon, pre-Earth Garnet, vigilante cleaning, yes you read that correctly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-20
Updated: 2016-12-20
Packaged: 2018-09-10 16:01:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8923462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Argonometra/pseuds/Argonometra
Summary: En route to Earth, Rose discovers a stowaway.





	

Her starship was clean.

Rose Quartz did not notice that, at first. She was a soldier and a leader of soldiers, and neither lived in squalor. On her no-longer-Homeworld, there had been no shortage of servants at its army’s disposal. Scrubbing, dusting, mending- all those menial tasks were automatically and flawlessly tended to.

And if theoretically the servants _weren’t_ there, a lower caste gem could always be commanded to do it. Soldiers weren’t _for_ such things. That was a fact of life.

Only a few decades ago had Rose begun to question such ‘facts’. Among the revolutionaries, she was hailed as a visionary, a leader whose compassion was not bounded by caste or species.

But even she, it seemed, was still accustomed to the luxuries granted high castes. Otherwise, why would it have taken her so long to notice their continued presence?

Rose groaned, burying fingertips in her fringe of curly pink hair. Thinking used to be so _easy…_

She remembered Garnet’s words, her friend’s reassuring smile: “Don’t be afraid to doubt. An intelligent mind questions everything, even itself.”

Or the foundation of all refined life in the universe, Rose thought. She was certain Garnet would agree- aside from being the most stalwart of rebels, Garnet was a natural philosopher. Barely a day went by when she didn’t offer some nugget of advice.

It came from her being part Sapphire. Sapphires were said to be the wisest (if not humblest) Gems above or below ground, and Rose could well believe it.

_…Is that bigoted of me, though?_

Argh! The questions never ended!

Rose could think of one that might, though. She composed her expression with the ease of long practice, and buzzed Aquamarine through.

The archivist quickly arrived in Rose’s quarters, looking quite anxious. Rose wasn’t surprised- it wasn’t every day an Aquamarine personally spoke with a general. She smiled down at the little gem, who responded with a sloppy salute.

“Greetings, ma’am! How can I serve you?”

Rose decoded to cut to the chase. “How many civilian rebels are on this ship?”

“Just this one? Uh…three dozen, ma’am.”

“And what types are they?”

Aquamarine rattled off the answer by rote. “Jades, Carnelians, Sapphires, and-” she blushed self-consciously- “Aquamarines. Ma’am,” she carefully added.

Hmm. Medics, builders, oracles, and scribes. All would be working hard to ensure their flight towards and colonization of Earth was a smooth one.

It didn’t make sense. Her gems were loyal- some even fanatical- but none of them had the time for frivolities like cleaning the ship. Yet every nook and cranny of the _Lioness_ was immaculate.

“You sure?”

“Huh, miss?”

“Are you certain that no one else is on board? No…” she struggled to phrase it diplomatically, “… _servant_ gems. No Azurite or Pearls?”

“Nope!” Aquamarine answered, forgetting protocol in her certainty. Rose didn’t care. “That’s what the records said. And besides-” she said, smiling “- you told us not to bring any. We wouldn’t disobey _you_ , R- I mean, ma’am!”

Rose furrowed her brow. “I see.”

After the customary farewell and showering of meaningless praise, Aquamarine left the room. Graffitied doors- marked underneath with four diamonds- slid shut behind her. (Rose grimaced at the memory. She had been rightfully angry that night, but expressing it so trivially set a bad example.)

Now, how to catch her helpful stowaway?

-

As always, Rose’s army were solicitous of her requests, no matter how weird- and asking for a bottle of the stickiest substance they knew of was quite weird. After the day’s work, Rose “accidentally” spilled it on her quarters’ floor (sighing with deliberate loudness), then got into bed. Being a gem, it was not hard to keep her eyes open.

She waited several hours before the stowaway ventured inside. She had to be a lower-class gem- Rose could tell that from her quiet, inoffensive steps and scrawny silhouette. She sighed again, this time with honest relief. A Quartz like her could easily subdue such a peas- such a _gem_ \- if it came to that.

The stowaway crouched down and began to scrub at the stain. She did not _look_ like an assassin. Fortunately, Rose had also planned how to subdue other types of intruder.

Rose gestured, and her plants sprang enthusiastically out of their pots. They were five times their original size already, and leaves sprouted from them with impossible speed- eager to serve the gem who had strengthened them so. They whipped through the air, grabbing the stowaway like living ropes.

The stranger thrashed around, trying to escape her coils. A weapon of some sort emerged from her gem, but clattered uselessly to the floor- she could barely breathe, let alone hold a blade. Soon the vines had bound her hand and foot.

At Rose’s command, her room’s lights flicked on. The Quartz rose, stalking over to her captive.

“Pearl, why are you here?”

“I’m sorry!” cried the gangly Pearl, her blue gem shimmering in the harsh light. “I didn’t- I wouldn’t have hurt you, not any of you- I’m not spying!” She gave up struggling, and flopped to the ground.

Rose was not satisfied. In fact, now that she knew the Pearl was no threat, her anger grew greater.

“ _Why_?”

“I was running!” the Pearl burst out. As if it were a shameful thing to say.

Rose realized it was. Cowardly Quartzes were almost unheard of, were barely Quartzes at all, but even civilians, low-caste or high, faced horrific consequences for abandoning (or as patriots put it, _betraying_ ) the monolithic, insensitive machine that was Homeworld society.

Even if, Rose thought, one’s job was as insignificant as sweeping hallways or carrying luggage.

She never wanted to live in a society like that ever again.

And, looking at the Pearl’s trembling tears, Rose knew _she_ didn’t, either.

A little of Rose’s anger drained out of her. “Well?” she asked gruffly. “Who _were_ you? How did you get on my ship?”

On a sudden impulse, inexplicable even to her, she asked; “What was life _like_ for you, pearl?”

The Pearl swallowed her sobs and glanced down at the floor, beginning to talk. Softly and politely, as all Pearls did (then).

And, for the first time in many eons, a Quartz began to listen.

\--

**Author's Note:**

> Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, “What! You too? I thought I was the only one.”
> 
> \- C.S Lewis


End file.
